Opinion: Dear America

We'd like the word "enduro" back, please. A couple of years ago it was kinda cute watching you call XC pedal-fests enduro races. It was like watching a baby deer take its first hesitant steps, trembling at the knees and struggling like hell, but at least you were trying. But watching you strap on fanny packs, ride short-travel bikes 'round Soquel Demo Forest and assume that, because it wasn't invented by an American, enduro is a new sport, was starting to grate. Sea Otter was the straw that broke the camel's back, though. It was the point when you jumped the proverbial shark and it's time to go our separate ways. Lycra? Really? On this side of the Atlantic that's an instant DQ from any reputable race. It's not "so enduro," it's really f*cking embarrassing and this needs to stop.

There are a few things you ought to understand:

1. Enduro is not "new"If you search through the archives of the French website, 1001sentiers.fr there are records of rallye races, where the blueprint for the sport was set from as far back as 1989. Around the time you were listening to MC Hammer and wearing ridiculous, baggy trousers, the French were "enduroing." In 2003 a very clever man called Fred Glo ran the first ever mountain bike race called an enduro. Half the field showed up on DH bikes. We could go on, but hopefully you get the point.

2. Enduro is a raceAlways has been, always will be. Outside a race we like to do what we call "mountain biking." It involves pedalling up hills and riding fast down them. You should try it sometime, it's ace. Apparently some American fella thought of it, but you don't seem to talk about it much any more.

Not enduro (sorry, Josh).

3. "Enduro" helmets are full-faceVal D'Allos, where the first ever enduro race was held, is a 1,000m vertical lift network in the steep, unforgiving Alps. Wearing a full-face helmet to race there isn't a fashion statement, but the only sensible thing to do. This is how enduro was born and what the sport originally spread with. Every European cycling federation who officially recognises enduro says, very clearly, that full-face helmets are mandatory equipment. Open-face helmets have only been part of European enduro racing as something to make the transfers more comfortable when you have a long spell in the saddle. So no, your open-face helmet isn't "enduro-specific." And if you only bought it for riding away from the races, see point 2.

4. Fanny packs?Why, just why?

5. There really are "enduro-specific" products, and some of them are rather usefulTake a look at Mavic's Crossmax wheelset, it's a great example. The narrower, lighter rear wheel was an idea pushed forwards by Fabien Barel and Jerome Clementz, who don't need to worry about destroying a wheel in a weekend. The latter won the Enduro World Series last year, so it clearly works very well for him, offering real advantages for racing because it is just strong enough and the light weight makes the bike easier to pedal. Out in the real world, if you ride hard, a lighter rear wheel isn't a great idea - you're far better off with something more durable as when you are laying down $1,000 on a wheelset you want it to last. Or, if you don't break stuff, get the lighter front wheel to match and make your bike even lighter. This is an enduro-specific product because it was born out of racing, designed for racing. Just writing the "e" word on the side of something isn't the same thing.

6. Open-face helmets and gogglesSee points 3 and 4.

Very enduro.

7. Enduro has done great things for the bikes we rideOne of the best thing about enduro (aside from the races being really fun) is that it has pushed manufacturers to create bicycles designed to pedal up the hill and descend aggressively. If you look at the early crop of 160mm trail bikes, for the most part they used similar geometry to 120mm XC-orientated bikes, but with more suspension so they were comfortable (and, arguably, a bit pointless). Take the most recent crop of 160mm travel bikes, like the Orbea Rallon, the new Santa Cruz Nomad and the YT Capra as a comparison. They are utter monsters, out-descending most DH bikes from just a few years ago, while still being nice places to spend a few hours in the saddle on. Sure, this isn't all down to enduro, but it's been one of the driving factors. The same goes for the components. SRAM are a great example. They understood enduro well before most other companies and produced great components like the XX1 groupset and the new Pike fork, leaving their competitors to play catch-up.

So, like any adult breakup, let's keep this pleasant and simple. Just round up everything you have with the "e" word written on it, put it a cardboard box and pop it in the post. No stress, no nastiness, no unnecessary unpleasantness. It's not you, it's us. We tried, but it just didn't work. Sorry.

Yours regretfully,

Europe

PS: None of this applies to Mark Weir. You can do whatever the f*ck you want as far as we're concerned, because, well... You're you.

If I remember correctly, I'm pretty sure the first incarnation of the Specialized Enduro arrived on the scene in 2000. Three years before the article claims some guy named Fred "Invented" the first Enduro Race.

So moral of the story, Specialized invented Enduro and they will probably sure this Fred Glo guy and any other snarky European's who claim otherwise.

Watch On Any Sunday, I'm pretty sure those guys were riding well established Enduro races on their motorbikes and that was filmed in 1971. Pretty sure there was a section on a Spanish Enduro race that was pretty much the same format as the Super Enduro races held in Europe.

if the "E" racing word (or any other word) is what it takes to get bikes that can actually pedal up the hill and then actually hold their own on the way down AND start a whole ridiculous debate over it....cool

@donch15 The Specialized Enduro was a bike designed for endurance mountain biking - long days or excursions - which is different to enduro racing. Here in the UK, we get confused as many of us still hear "enduro" and mix it up with endurance races - e.g. 24 hours in the saddle or 7 days coast to coast; but not long descending (mountain-length) tracks, linked with short, unraced uphills - this, is "enduro".

Great way to divide a close nit community
I agree with some of the points this article makes , but I don't agree with insulting a branch the sport
that we all love , this could've been written differently
without taking a shot at a huge part of the Mt. Bike community
If it weren't for those spandex wearing riders we probably wouldn't have those dropper posts that we all
have come to love and countless other products that trickle down from different forms of racing

OBVIOUSLY matt wragg is jealous of AMERICA and the great land we are and how we capitalize on the sport. Continue your socialist agenda and terrible economic conditions europe, you sure do everything else right

If you dont feel like you need goggles you're not going fast enough. Sunglasses suck compared to a nice clean pair of goggles... shit even dirty goggles are better than sunglasses. If its a dedicated DH run after extended climbing for said DH run then get fucked goggles are worth it.

Lets cut the crap, Enduro in America can still be saved! Can we have a do-over? Lets run these races at known big, bad trails...for example, Northstar at Tahoe w/ 4 stages...1st, a warmup at Flame Out to Deer Path, 2nd stage- Upper Karpiel to Pho-Dog to Lift Line, 3 stage- Gypsy to Easy Rider, and the final run down Livewire! This will definely push everyone to run 160mm Travel bikes, Full Face Helmets, and separate the XC and All-mountain rigs!

If I remember correctly, I'm pretty sure the first incarnation of the Specialized Enduro arrived on the scene in 2000. Three years before the article claims some guy named Fred "Invented" the first Enduro Race.

So moral of the story, Specialized invented Enduro and they will probably sure this Fred Glo guy and any other snarky European's who claim otherwise.

Have you ever wondered why some of your distant blood cousins (yep, us Euros) have a less than rosy view of some of the inhabitants of your federation?

No, if I believe the image portrayed of your country and its citizens, most of you you probably haven't.

See, 'Merica is not a country famed for it's introspection and self analysis outside of its borders. It tends instead to get depicted as a sink for cultural / political / ideological dogmatism where the entire population is tarred with the same brush that painted the necks of all its inhabitants a deeply conservative leather bound bible red.

We all know really that the good ol' US of A is nothing of the sort. We have all met and enjoy the company of countless millions of your countrymen and women who are true and trusted friends.

Yet there are so many voices, and very loud brash voices at that, emanating across the globe via its media from within your borders, that anyone from outside the US would be forgiven for thinking all of you are overly opinionated, loud mouthed bigots utterly incapable, even in the slightest, from ever being able to open your minds beyond its initial "USA! USA! USA!" knee jerk testosterone filled utterances.

And many of the possessors of those voices are here in this thread, unable to see their own reflection that is in the mirror Matt is holding up.

You want to try laughing at the image in the mirror more often some of you. I wet myself when I see the image I see in the mirror marked "British". Hell, Ricky Gervais has made millions holding a mirror up for us to look into.

IPedalpedal - I know that it's generally seen that Mountain biking first started in the US. But I honestly don't think we can pinpoint the first time someone took a bicycle off the road and had fun doing so. That was essentially the birth of mountain biking, who knows exactly the first time it happened

In regards to the lycra in enduro thing, i have met josh carslon (the guy in the first picture) many times at races and at the bike shop where i work and despite me not really knowing him I can through it out there that he was probably wearing lycra for a joke to stir up the internet bike nerds.

If we can't pinpoint where it started, we can all agree the kind of crazy, like minded souls who did invent mountain biking. Guys that have similar thought processes to us all who like to ride bikes fast, and live in breath for the thrill of toeing the fine line between control and chaos.

@SomismtbThankyou. You just made me laugh. As in actually laugh out loud, not this silly new fangled lolling rubbish all the kids are doing these days.

However, seeing as we invented the English language which we have kindly lent you, I think it is fair for me to say your accents are silly.

I mean seriously, we lent you it in good faith and now look at it! You've chopped the end off half our words, mis-spelled the other half, and generally not taken very good care of it. Remind me never to lend America my bike...

Gabriel.... The best example is happenstance. Which is American for coincidence. And if you look up happenstance in a thesaurus? That's right, the first word you get is coincidence! What a coincidence. Basically are Americans so retarded you can't cope with coincidence? Maybe none of you could say it. Or maybe you just like inventing pointless shite so you can say you invented everything.

@tobiusmaximum - the Americans, love 'em, would have to say co - inside - denc- eee to get it out, the same way that they cannot say aluminium - yes that's the correct spelling - there is an extra I in the word you call alu-minum. Oh and i invented Enduro. It was on a Tuesday at 10:30, it was a bit overcast.

will you kind right honorable sirs take one direction back along with enduro then? will buy rounds upon rounds of your favorite beverage for doing so along w/front row @ ft bill for one and all. forget enduro. dh and beers instead.

hence, the endless beer offer, tobius. i can man up to that musicalshite that unfortunately floats to all parts of the world at the moment. i need the swill to make it go away. we did share blues/rock together that created sabbath. for which i am eternally grateful. now, enough of the int'l circle jerk and let's go find a pub!

And sorry Somismtb, I quite like what you wrote. It amused me. Everyone here (possibly yourself included?) seems to think I was cussing you. Have re-read my comment and am still struggling to understand how they got that impression.

Also I love our women too, but I have (accidentally, honest) seen some dubious websites with short video clips of what Americans seem to imagine British women to be like and I must say you guys are waaaaaaaaaay off the mark.

Well, if you were to read my gibberish and had at least an average level of intelligence/common sense you would most likely realise that I am English, see below for some highlights:

"seeing as we invented the English language""I love your accents and your women, Thanks for the language" followed by "Also I love our women too, but I have "seen some dubious websites with short video clips of what Americans seem to imagine British women to be like"

Thing is many (if not most) EU guys don't want Enduro either I guess. I mean, XC and DH make sense. I still can understand "all-mountain" despite being a bit sketchy (AM is XC with more fork travel but don't tell it).

IMO, AM was introduced so that people felt more comfortable because in many people's mind XC was only =lycra + carbon (sure is, but just a so tiny minor part of it actually).

I think that if you consider the average ride of the average rider on PB, most people actually do XC. Having ridden trails with pro XCer also make me think that the frontier between DH and XC can somehow be blurred because those guys can litterally fly over steep rocky sections. Not so long ago (90s), some XC races parts where actually like some today’s DH tracks. Of course a DH rig is just gonna blast it way faster but still.

Meanwhile, I still fail to understand what is enduro. And I think this is actually because Enduro is a somehow marketed construction, not an actual riding category contrary to XC or DH.

It is funny how much people on pinkbike love to debate. If i am out with buddys or riding with new people on the trail we dont talk about wheelsize or enduro or what handlebar width we have because the normal mountainbiker/non pinkbiker could care less!! Like many others on here are saying: just ride your damn bike!!

I understand and i agree with you about how boring people are with their "i ride enduro"

But i think you miss the point is that "enduro racing" (not talking about big events as EWS) is the best way to race :1 when you're not pro2 having fun3 with your friendsThat's why lots of people talk and write about it.

And again, i concur that writing "enduro riding" in every video title (to catch more views) is pointless

I did race an Enduro event with a friend and we did not really like the format. I prefer continuous chrono from start to finish and more balanced uphill/downhill stuff, but this is just a personal choice.

Interesting that you mention it as the best way to race with friends though, I did not see it like that.

"That's why lots of people talk and write about it." ^ Well here you made a good point.

"And again, i concur that writing "enduro riding" in every video title (to catch more views) is pointless"^ Couldn't agree more

I personally think the best way to race is to start at point "A" and see who can get to point "B" fastest. Enduro only times the down bits, meaning the up bits aren't even a race. In my head something that isn't even a race, cannot be "the best way to race" and the other bit is just DH. But slower on smaller bikes

i thin the best way to race with your friends is to point somewhere, start pedalling towards it, then once you have a good head start call out "last one there is a loser/is buying the drinks/is a twat"

@robwhynot how about you quit with your generalisations of a nation with over 200 million occupants. I was trying to make a light-hearted joke but obviously that stick is too far up your ass for you to realize that. This is a bike website, where we come to share the mutual love for shredding trails and the sport as a whole. If you want to circle jerk with other people about how shitty you think the US is, this definitely isn't the place.

Someone likes us. We are a nation of refugees and immigrants and refugees. Why are people still knocking down the doors to get in if we are so terrible? Don't equate what our government does to the whole of our people. By and large Americans disapprove of most of what our corrupt government does.

Fantastic. You passed! It was just for fun. I actually quite like americans. I was just playin wid y'all..
And yeah I appreciate it's largely your government who are cocksuckers. Ours aren't much better.

It's a common geopolitical analogy used to describe the US because of its relative infancy. And it fits in context of the self-deprecating comment that I was replying to since most teenagers aren't secure enough to be able to make fun of themselves or laugh when others make fun of them.

Try reading as "light-heartedly" as you write and tone down the defensiveness (usually the first indicator of some form of guilt, but we won't go there, in interest of keeping things light)

I'm not sure if this is is the case in France, but I know in a lot of the world, it can actually be considered rude to tip... I think North America is one of the few places around were tipping is considered common courtesy.
And to be honest, I kind of think tipping is BS. If you don't agree just go watch the start of Reservoir Dogs

To an extent 'Europe' is right and we need to bring the balls back to the mountain and get some real nasty tracks to race on. The California Enduro Series is taking a step in the right direction with 3 events at resorts: China Peak, NorthStart at Tahoe and Mammoth Mountain. We need jumps and ruts and raw terrain to rip on! Colorado is doing it right with their resort series. Enduro tracks should be scary, steep, gnarly and technical! And we should have several stages of Gnar! Like it has been said, Enduro is racing downhill trails on a trail bike because you need to pedal around to get there. To the event promotors: Make the tracks awesome, scary, sketchy and FAST!

Put the Balls on the mountain and remove the purse from your spokes! Kill Trail!

Come cover some of the events being put on here in BC (not just the Crankworx EWS) we're using some great tracks. Racing down Gargamel in Whistler last years was all time.

For the Sea To Sky Series this year we've had to dial it back a bit from Gargamel level, but still proper challenging tracks. Heck our weekly Toonie enduro series is more challenging than that Sea Otter enduro.

The article is great but blaming just america for that is a bit unfair. Some more countries suffer from the enduroing virus but then again that revolting thing called sea otter enduro happened in 'merica.

Well besides the fact that event did got coverage and quite a lot, im trying to understand you here. Are you saying that people should not care about something because it flies under the radar of the media? Or that only things people care about are covered by the media? George Orwell wrote a thing or two about how beneficial is to think like that, so keep up the good work champ!

This article is arrogant, some comments too, indeed... and none of us both sides of the Atlantic has to give lessons to the other. Remember that mountain-biking is fun and pleasure before all, including friendship and brotherhood. I don't know if it's a british or a french who wrote that paper (french Vs british arrogance = same fight), but it sucks. I'm french, I'm a "sunday amateur endurist" who sometimes goes to the Alps or Pyrenees to have my simple pleasure, and no matter if it's "all-mountain", "enduro", "DH", "Freeride", but it's FUN. Speaking about french enduro superstars, I'd like to know the (certainly more interesting) opinion of Jerome Clementz en Fabian Barel who beside of being some of the nicest persons on Earth are probably more concerned and competent about the subject. I'm pretty sure they don't care about that Europe Vs US debate/fight which is, once again, ridiculous. Cheers to all north-american fellows, and welcome to France and Europe when you want to simply ride and have fun.

@Franzzz: Thanks buddy, appreciate that. Nobody likes being stereotyped.@MattWragg: Not sure how this is appropriate in an international forum. Maybe it would be funny if we knew and liked each other, but taking a swing at millions of people you don't know? Good lesson for my kids though on how not to behave on the internet or anywhere else.

Why does he care about what terms people use on another continent, the fact that he's super embarrassed by it is embarrassing itself, and it makes him look like the stereotype he's trying to portray. This article didn't offend me as an American, it offended me as a mountain biker.

It does matter, Enduro in America is an embarassment! But guess what, people bought into it and the manufacturers are laughing all the way to the bank! Real Enduro racing on Mt. Bikes that started in the European Alps is hard, it's big mountain, it was not meant to be easy like you see the races in America!

He says you guys all stopped mtbing to listen and dress like MC Hammer in 89 too..... now thats offensive.
Seems to be very worried about the whole Enduro situation there in America..... hope everything turns out ok - LOL.
What an Enduro douchebag.

You can keep enduro. We'll hold onto Potts, Cunningham, Breeze, Fisher, Sinyard, Koski and all the other hippie geniuses that were crazy enough to start hacking bikes together and riding them on the trails of Mt Tam.
You're welcome,
USA

Litte known fact the Nazis built up a special bike troop in the Wehrmacht. Their training included riding "North Shores" and riding off road which would nowadays be called enduro.This was even before Gary Fisher was born. But after the Americans had completely bombed down the cities and the Soviets came up with their comunism the germans had other things to do than going out for a ride.

Thanks shirk. Kids these days have lost touch about when these really cool bikes we ride went from an idea to actual product.
Seraph, good point. There's a few others that I'm sure I forgot that deserve credit as well.

And Sea otter should never have an Enduro on XC trails. They were racing down fireroads for like 80 percent of that race. Move the event over to Toro park and there could be some way more legit tracks!

Seaotter had their 1st enduro event this year and I was curious, so I gave it a shot....I must had the biggest bike on that event, everyone else was on their XC bikes and I was on my all-mountain rig! I'm bringing my 22lb hard tail next year!

I think this year was really bad. They took the XC race and turned it into a cyclocross race. The enduro took its place on the same trails. The DH track has always been somewhat lacking, but it can actually be quite fun if you ignore that it can be ridden well on an AM bike.

I'm not sure who is responsible, but they don't want anyone getting injured in Ft. Ord. They could have a lot more exciting trails.

Toro Park is difficult for events because of accessibility. Pipeline/Airplane are great trails, but I doubt any insurance would cover it. It's too easy to get injured there, and I doubt the trails could stand heavy use.

@jboom actually I do enjoy the DH, I think the jumps are fun and you don't feel like you might die because it's so short and there's nothing technical. I always ride it on my AM bike, way more fun and faster! So ya, it's kind of got it's own thing going on. I don't really know anything about Ft. Ord or Toro Park but I can't imagine Sea Otter will ever move anything everywhere, it's such an institution now at Laguna Seca. @drivereight totally. It takes all types.. some people love fun parties like SOC. I have been to it enough times that the novelty has worn off, but to each his own! That being said, if I still lived near there, I would still go to race the DS. It's so fun... and top it off with some expo fun party and an air bag makes for a pretty good time... as long as if you are camping your neighbors don't suck Haha

Enduro is a race format. Tracks don't have to be like the "unforgiving" alps to be considered an enduro race. It just needs to be a stage race with timed descending. How can Sea Otter be the straw that broke the camels back if it followed this format? You also don't need a full face for an enduro format race. I don't care if the race is on smooth flow or ultra tech. If it is a stage race with times down hills and liason stages it is an enduro race regardless of how much travel the bike has, how technical a track is or what kind of helmet you need to wear.

Your true on the point of "it is an enduro race regardless of how much travel the bike has, how technical a track is or what kind of helmet you need to wear." But there are products specifically designed around the race format. That doesn't mean you have to use them do enduro.

So, could you race F1 with a rally car? Sure, but to succed you need the proper tool, and I'm speaking about the right bikes, but also the right track, and although the format used at Sea Otter might have been similar, the track was clearly not the right one

You are wrong. A "stage race" is a stage race. An Enduro is a specific type of race that is near DH type in required technical ability and with some lee-way for connections. In America, I have raced 2 'enduros' and watched another. They are XC in terrain period so far for the most part in the US. The terrain here lends itself to 'enduro' in 3(ok 4) locations, northeast, rocky mountains, and northern California mtns, we and Pisgah to a degree. Other locations holding a stage race and calling it Enduro is just as the author described it...... BS.

That was amusing. This whole article is very quintesence of being a stereotypical Euro prick. Well... Point nr1 - accomplished big boys do not need to justify their greatness. I thought that French and Italian series really do not need such articles to be appreciated. Then necessity to bump up your ego by depreciating a different interpretation of your "big idea" is just funny... from financial point of view, that would be just a loss to the industry, there are much more people doing it "in lycra" than in full faces. If someone laughed at you Matt or irritated you with stupid insinuations about "so enduro" and accused you of being an offroad fashionista... then read Point nr1 again. Otherwise you are making yourself an offroad fashionista

Ah and those Crossmax wheels are waste of money and technology, I admire those guys greatly for being able to win on those narrow things. Mavic MTB products, heh, their feel and styling are synonymous with cheap logo stamped lycra and fanny packs. Mavic just cannot shake off the bound to road racing - Irony is a bitch

An article by Waki is clever and a joy to read. These latest Matt Wragg articles are so one dimensional and lacking any wit... normally they would be called trolling. Certainly not front page material!

I'd choose ZTR, Pacenti, WTB anytime due to width to weight ratio. I ride LB carbon with 28mm inner right now. They are too stiff but tyre stability is amazing. My next rims will be Syntace W35. I want some compliance back, carbon feels slow, even though it is fast. But I will never go back to narrow Mavics, on those new rims of mine, bike leans into the corner and sits there in the leaning position. On mavics bike leans and tyre bends up and down, as if front wheel was constantly yoking left to right. Then you pump a corner and NNic tyre burps sealant at 28PSI where on wide rims I don't get such effect on 22PSI. Off course if you run 2ply tyres that effect is minimized. No arguing Just an opinion. Please feel free and happy to use them.

Good points. I have not tried Pacenti rims. Is it safe to assume they only come in the pointless middle size? As far as width goes, i was actually having a bit of a geek session the other day and measuring all my rim widths (and the resultant tyre widths they created) the EX729s on my DH bike actually came out on top at around 31mm (i think that was the width, I measured a lot of things that day). They are heavyish but not horrendous and insanely strong. 5 years of dh (two weeks a year on proper European mountains, EVERY weekend some sort of mild UK dh) abuse and they have rarely needed more than a bit of tweaking up.

The real reson I love them tho is because I build a lot of wheels at work. At least one set a month, usually more. I generally find most of these new start up companies make rims that tick all the right boxes in terms of weight/width/graphics/features, but are a bloody pain to build. They need some pretty hardcore persuasion to build up straight, often ending up with less than perfect spoke tensions. Mavic on the other hand are ALWAYS a dream to work with. Seriously they take all the skill out of wheel building. You lace them up, set them to equal spoke tensions all round and they WILL be straight. They generally don't wibble too much at the join, they aren't full of drilling flash. they are just lovely. ZTRs seem to be made out of some strange metal that varies in malleability around the circumference of the rim. Spanks are god awfull. They used to be rivetted at the join for gods sake. Im sure there are other companies that can produce a good rim, but Mavic are reliably perfect every time. And there is something about the metal they use. It just feels right.p.s. If you are interested, the most surprising thing I found out whilst measuring rim width vs tyre width was that the rim width seems to have almost no effect on the resultant tyre width.Minion DHF 2.5 dh on an ex729 = 55mm wideMinion DHF 2.5 dh on a 5mm narrower DT swiss something or other = 55mm wide

Ahhh you mean this way... I forgot to mention how much swear words I used when building up and then tensioning really high profiled carbon rim... I am no skilled wheel builder though. I do what I can. Those rims are so stiff that when I built them, and the rim was perfectly straight and centered, the difference in spoke tension between various spokes was disturbing to say the least. That despite the spoke length being perfect. They are high profile so after lacing "inner side of the flange" spokes I had to use another spoke to put the nipple through the eyelet to lace the leading spokes. I did not have any problem with WTBs though. Mavics were easy but not the tubeless ones which were even bigger pain in the arse than those carbon. WHY on earth won't Mavic release proprietary nipples looking like ones for their zicral spokes, but accepting standard 2mm spoke thread?! Whyyyy?! What's the point of making really nice and light 821s when eyelets and brass spokes weigh 100g more?!

I might have the terminilogy wrong. I laced spokes as Hope does their hoops. On front wheel the spokes going on the outsiode of the flange pointing forward (like blades of shimano and avid rotors), on the rear the opposite. I lace "the inside" spokes first as it is easier for me to lace them without "outer" spokes in the wheel. But I managed to make the logo visible from the valve hole mohahaha, and no spokes cross under the valve! Are you proud of me?

haha, very proud. has tk sent you that hub yet? if not ill put a gold star in the box for you As for lacing, I would personally lace all wheels as you have laced your front (if using disc brakes). If you use rim brakes, or have thighs like chris hoy then things may change.

Yea the hub is awesome, it seems that it has the older pawls! The really loud ones! I don't like those "silent" new ones. Now I need a wheelset for my wife as I sold of Crossmaxes of "hers", and she must get something "quiet"... those women... do you know any quiet hub that is a good hub but isn't "smear me often" shimano?

silent new hope pawls? thats news to me. built a wheel with a brand new hub from hope 2 weeks ago and it makes an absolute racket.

Any hub with easy access to the pawls can be made quiet if you open it up and add liberal amounts of "groil" (grease plus oil) not enough oil and the pawls will become sticky and not engage reliably. too much oil and you will experience more noise, more wear and if your sealing isn't great it will all pour out. find the perfect ratio and your hub will be quiet and well lubed.

Also have you tried Halo Superdrive hubs? 120point engagement and very noisy, but if you do the old add groil trick they become extremely quiet. Very rapid pick up, clever pawl design means they really won't skip and the hubs appear to be made to good tolerances. Also excellent bearings. So far I am impressed with them, although time will tell if that remains the case.

Sea Otter is cool, but they REALLY do need to find some proper tracks for their DH and Enduro races. It's has the potential to be America's Crankworx, yet its venues are a joke. Leave Laguna Seca, go to Tahoe, and all will be well.

Well, it is kinda interesting. The "Enduro" from back in the days was a cool bike. Then the SX Trail came along, which would be "so Endurah" right now (downhill specific, plush suspension, not the easiest bike to pedal). Then S axed it, and replaced it with an XC "Endurah"...But I guess the original Enduro was around before Enduro was a thing, so I'll let it fly ;-)

Ouch. Although I really like Matt's reviews and photos, I have to say that this was a little tough. It's true, some guys don't get it, others don't like it but they have never tried it or they did but it wasn't a very well organized race. Anyway, for that people, used to DH WC, Freeriding, Slopestyle, for them, Enduro is just marketing, a new type of bike, etc., but I'm sure there are people in "America" (USA for the rest of the world) that understand what this is, maybe the guys that have gone to the Enduro Race at the Colorado Freeride Festival or the ones that participated in the Enduro Race at Crankworx Whistler and for that reason I feel that generalizations are never good. So, I would change dear America for those who don't get it yet, because they will eventually, and I would totally agree with this.

Yes...and to get you up to speed, "enduro" is out of fashion these days, so you'll need to trash all of your enduro-specific gear and re-buy everything to be 26r specific. And no you can't re-use your old 26r parts because we've added 1cm to everything (innovation, yo). Also, we've named it "All Trail" and are currently yelling at the French and Italians in another thread because, as you will find out, only North Americans can ride All Trail properly. The future welcomes you!

i like to ride my bike, thats about it. May it be in the form of "real" enduro, "american" enduro, going to the supermarket, pump track, dirt jumping or downhilling. As long as im under the two wheels and it continues to bring joy to my own and millions of others lives i will not complain on what people decide to call their type of riding.

I get where he's coming from. I get his point(s). I get what he's saying.

But it sounds like the usual instinctive, primitive, "us vs. them" commentary in the mtb community. Yeah, let's battle about Lyrca, helmets, fanny packs and other material goods, because that's definitely not the exact superficiality that the majority of this community stands opposed to. Oh, and let's back up our arguments with the race results of professionals we don't know and will never compare to.

The mtb community is already incredibly small. In many ways it's comparably tiny to some of the characters that compose the community. Ahem, that's directed at your attitude in the post, author. I bet you can probably come up with something better to say.

If we keep aimlessly bantering about useless topics, we'll never grow to be a noteworthy community. Why would anyone want to join a community that can't even respect its own members?

As seductive as his middle-school level rhetoric is and how cute his regurgitation from his 10-minute background-information search is, this post is laughable.

The author did entirely and exactly what he didn't mean to do. He sounds like the anti-spirit of mountain biking.

BOOOOOO.

Post something nicer next time that doesn't offend my eyes. I could go on, but hopefully you get the point.

While I don't agree that we should give it back, I do agree that branding "XC" races "Enduro" is bull. I recently rode my first Enduro race and was totally perplexed. There was a bunch of spandex on XC bikes riding XC trails. Seriously, one of the stages started out with 30 seconds of up?!?! My idea of Enduro is racing 6" travel bikes on rugged downhill style trails with some pedaling involved. Not getting pounded over flat trails for 8 minutes of all out pedaling and no flow...every single stage. Now who do you think is going to win that battle? It was pure cardio!!! Don't get me wrong, I still had a good time and met some really awesome people, but don't label a XC race Enduro to get on the band wagon. You only make yourself look foolish. Be smart and don't label XC events Enduro or someone is going to have to create some specific rules, like a minimum vertical decent per day in order to put the Enduro stamp on an event. And I don't believe Enduro is whatever people want it to be...that's crap.

This article is kinda shitty, it is pretty much just an excuse to rant against americans, While it is stating correct points i dont see how it has anything to do with america, (cmon fanny packs, that sort of stuff doesnt go unpunished here)

Matt Wragg makes the rest of us Brits look like idiots...
However it does really annoy me when people say they're going riding enduro - enduro is a race format, nothing more. And that's not just an american thing.

i agree for the most part with Wragg. Satire has it's roots in truth. In the US, locally, it seems like promoters take an XC race, chop it up into "stages" to make it into an enduro race. While enduro racers can be categorized into pedalers, descenders, and rare all-arounders, a true (and in my mind legit) enduro race should be won 90% of time by "all-arounders". The nature of the course layout has alot to do with this. A stage should be at least 90% descending. The overall length of the race (including transfers) should be at least 25miles. Practice should be limited or when feasible, the course layout withheld until race day.

Those are the parameters if it was up to me. And i understand that for the most part you NEED a sizeable mountain with the proper trails to run a true enduro that fulfills all of the above criteria. Obviously if you live in a certain region of the US, this may be geographically impossible.

After reading this article, I left feeling confused. There were so many contradictory and unintelligent statements, I'm not sure why it was deemed worthy of even being published on Pinkbike. I hope that the standards for articles on this site increases from here on out.

Who the hell wouldn't want to ride a dual suspension bike that has plenty of travel and is light weight for climbs. How many people race? Modern mountain bikes are fun to ride. That is the reason why we ride the bikes we ride. Enduro is a marketing word. It is used so often that it is becoming a swear word. Go Enduro your self.

Knock, knock. Who's there? "America" America who? Bill Baird, Dick Burleson and Terry Cunningham. Dirt biking wants their word back and I dare you to tell them no. But, hey, France-we'll give you the word "enduro" and quit wearing Lycra as soon as we stop laughing at what European men wear at the beach. As far as enduro at Sea Otter, well, we all knew that would be ridiculous.

There is no American, Europeans, downhillers, enduros and xcs... There are guys who say hi when we meet, and have same good shit in their heads as most of us here do... And there are assholes on two wheels, who are and were never real lovers of nature, sport and technology... And these assholes are spread equally over all continents... Maybe there are one or two more in marketing departments

america.. stealing other people's shit and calling it our own since 1776!

p.s. hide your daughters europe. i'll be coming over sans-mtb in june to sell those pretty faces on my being a rich lawyer who wants to give them a shot at 'the land of opportunity' (my dong) when in reality i'm just a mtb-obsessed enduro loving marketing schmuck who eats big macs and nearly shits his lycra on a daily basis! no fresh herbs veggies or mountain air for them for the rest of their lives! muahahaha!!

They use to wear skin suits on early DH races... it helped, but the image was wrong for marketing the sport so they made it illegal... true that, it's against the rules to wear lycra - or they'd all be doing it -- boom - mind blown.

You see if you yell strava it's okay to run stop signs and pass on the right, gap over small children and do other maneuvers. But if you don't yell strava while you do it... Then you sir are a scroodge.

Finally someone had the balls to say what many of us have been thinking! Having said that the article is too focused on the USA (america=two continents...). Hopefully, we'll stop hearing people say "I went enduroing the other day when they mean mountainbiking".

Most of this article rings true... With the exception of the openface/goggle comment. Sometimes you wanna go really frickin fast but don't need a FF... Goggles provide far better wind protection and defense from flying objects, tree limbs, etc. I get up over 18-20mph with glasses on and my eyes are watering, guaranteed. Goggles prevent that. But I don't want to climb for 3 hours with FF on my head or dangling off my pack...

Final word on what America is good for.....
This country is only 200 years old, and already we've had ten major wars. We average a major war every twenty years, So we're good at it. And it's just as well we are, because we're not very good at anything else. Can't build a decent car anymore. Can't make a TV set, a cell phone, or a VCR. Got no steel industry left. No textiles. Can't educate our young people. Can't get health care to our old people. But we can bomb the shit outta your country, all right.
From the mouth of an American.
Rest in peace George.

This article is pure BS. Yes Enduro is all marketing, but heck, it keeps the business alive, gets more people into mountain biking, brings some people who stopped mountain biking back to it. What's to hate? Yes there are a bunch of stupid fashion antics popping up that no one cares about, but that is true for any side of the sport... stupid kids riding trail bike with neck braces without gloves, sleeveless and without pads... XC riders dissing 26" wheels, or some other riders because they don't have the latest kit... these are all subject that are good for the forum comments and the crowds... but coming from a Pinkbike contributor, this is lame, very lame.

I remember when the term "Freeride" first came up when I was a kid back in France... we all made fun of it saying it was all marketing... bla bla... a new segment created to make money... bla bla... we've been doing that on our bikes forever, they just put a name on it... it's lame etc etc etc... well in the end it might be dead... but it brought a lot of people to the sport that wouldn't have if it was for DH or XC... and Rampage is still huge.

Now just come and check people's faces at a local "enduro" race here in BC... it's just a new (yes, for people here), fun format that brings everyone together... the XC guys have their climbs, the dh guys have their steep sections, everyone competes, there is no stress, more riding, beers at the bottom, more people building/maintaining trails: everyone is happy... yes there are people following trends, yes there are people dissing these. Some come with XC bikes, some with DH bikes, some with full-face, some with DJ lids, some with 650B, some with 26", some with fanny packs.... but yes it brings more pople to mtb and racing, they enjoy it and it is good for the sport so stop this crap.

Why is bringing in a load of people who needed the essence of riding bikes off road to be repackaged and buzz worded, in order to be interested, a good thing? I got into bikes when it was geeky. The bikes were shit, we wore road bike kit. But we loved it. Frankly if you need the latest cool genre to get involved in a sport, maybe you should go back to the pub/shops/cinema.

I raced an enduro event in the US this summer and spectated at 2 more. All three contained pedally stages (blue DH tracks), but all three also included full on black or double black DH race courses that you wouldn't dare run XC tires or lightweight wheels on (unless you're lucky enough to not have to pay for new wheels when they break). I rode a full face lid for all my stages, and full faces were required for the black stages.

Mr. Wragg: thank you for setting the record straight, and for an amusing read. Whilst we're on topic, what enduro-specific back protector do you recommend given the grotesquely oversized chip on your shoulder?

Enduro in America sucks, there I said it! I've seen a video back in the early 90s about mt. Biking in European Alps. Yes, they called it Enduro...it was big, it was bad, it was Full face helmets, body armors, steep, rocky, and I was hooked on mt. Biking!

you all realize its just a fun article? Its poking fun at how we've all gone so big over this endure craze. Pretty uptight group on here! Why don't you get outside and go ride your bike. or go enduroing

I spoke with Joe Breeze about the original races the founding fathers of mountain biking had in Marin county in the 70's... they coined the term "enduro" for one of their races way back then, before Europe ever saw a mountain bike. You can have the word back, but we want our carefree layback ideals for the sport returned...why are people making such a big deal out of something that looks to be helping the industry and riders as a whole. Mountain biking and mountain bikers shouldn't be all up tight and snooty. Stick to road biking if you're going to be too cool and snobby about cycling.

Having not really used the word Enduro - except for races that I participate in and are actually 'Enduro' races modeled after the Moto races.... I think I'm going to start throwing the word ENDURO around now just to piss you blokes off - since it seems to be a soft spot and all. I can't wait to ride Enduro this weekend.

Our American cousins aren't the only ones to have got this wrong though are they Matt?It's only been in the last year or so that us Brits have been using the word correctly, with UK "Enduros" such as the strathpuffer being very XC oriented affairs.The fannypacks are a different issue altogether. There can be no excuses for that.

Back when mountainbiking became mountainbiking or whatever... mountainbikes were too ugly, flimsy and shit to even want to ride and road bikes still made you look friggin ridiculous so BMX was the only way. Now i'm older and cant ride BMX anymore, i'm glad endurodownhillmountainbikes are not shit and actually awesome to ride.
Thank you mountainbike industry design people for making whatever you call them now... apart from the boutique handbuilt ones that always break... they are still shit because they cost lots and still break and ruin childhood dreams.

HAHA. I don't get it... people are starting to dislike the "E" word nowadays because it's overused. Matt puts context on the HOW and WHY of the "E" word, but still people aren't happy with it? Was it because of the "Dear America" part? Can't please everyone, aye?

Enduro has been part of my vocabulary for the past 35+ years from motorcycles as my father raced moto enduro in the 1970's and the moto version of the sport is much, much older than that. Matt has discovered enduro in the past few years and feels that this makes him very special.

I am going to write an article about how mountain bikers have ruined the term "enduro" for moto guys that have been doing it for 70 years The author here seems to be pissed about cross country dudes blowing his doors off going up hill in lycra wearing goggles and half faced helmets! It gets to me to man.

in 1972 we called any moto with a headlight an enduroen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enduroen.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Six_Days_Enduro he ISDT was first held in 1913 at Carlisle, England. It has occurred annually, apart from interruptions due to World War I and World War II, at various locations throughout the world. The early events were a true test of machine, rider skill, and reliability. Held on the 'roads' of that era, today most of the routes are truly 'off road'. Originally titled the International Six Day Trial, in 1981 the FIM decided to update the name to International Six Days Enduro

This article is great! The term "enduro" has definitely gotten beat to death. The format is awesome and has breathed a lot of life into the sport but not every enduro style race needs to be called "enduro" Maybe after this craze we'll get to the point where it will all just be called "bike racing"! On the flip side, like Matt points out, trail bikes are awesome now away days because now they're being built to race. In the past most manufacturers built trail bikes to go hang with your bros and cruise around the woods, putting these bikes against the clock has definitely inspired brands to make better bikes for everyone to enjoy.

the whole enduro scene here made me puke when everything went crazy. that's what the marketing people brought, put a name on it & sell it even if you stole it. take it back Euro & your goofy mustaches too.

@Oisans he meant in modern times. If we can't bring up the fact that you guys aren't currently writing in German I don't think you can use bands from too far in the past to support your cause.

BTW, this article, while attempting to be satirical, seems to have failed. Seems like anymore PB is trying to fill advertiser impression guarantees with pageviews/clicks though and they know fake controversy will get 'em there so expect to see more crap like this and pictorials of Emily Batty.

Anyways, who cares what someone thinks about what you ride, wear, etc. You want to rock a fanny pack? f*cking rock it son! Open face helmet with googles? Do it. What you look like, how you ride, etc. are of no importanc eto my day. Mountain biking is already close enough to the color coordinated fashion shit show that snowboarding has become, let's not let it go that last 1%.

On another note: Mountain biking is a very broad term with a variety of bikes. If you're on XC geometry chances are that you will be slow on the downhills. "Enduro" is just a way of classifying a style of bike thats designed to be competitive on downhill and capable on uphill.

Always when I upload new pics to the Pinkbike website I wonder why cant find an "Enduro" category. If this is a such common thing, in my opinion should be an obvious option during marking what style of riding some picture representing.

SOB do we all remember the free ride craze now the enduro craze the boring xc craze the snow bike races 29ers 27.5 bikes. WTF happened to mountain biking just calling it simple mountain biking. i remember when it was sweet to be like man i have 3 bikes trail dh and dj dude. the best thing here is this nonsense of this thing called enduro forced bikes to become what we always wanted a dam mountain bike ride the entire mountain and shred it all the climb the dh and the jumps.
Thank you for reminding us all that its just mountain biking and we dont ride to the top with an xc bike and magically we have our dh bike there waiting for the gnarly dh.
i love it all one day we will bring back mountain biking

I know this is old but I do want to underline one thing - Enduro is RACING. Everyone needs to remember that. You don't say "hey we are going cyclocrossing" when you ride your cross bike or "lets go cross country" when you ride an xc bike. You say "hey lets go ride xyz trail. I'm bring abc bike." So, you don't ride "enduro". You may race enduro. Otherwise, you f*cking trail ride.

All this passion in the comments are hilarious... for something that really isn't anything. The current incarnation of 'enduro' is a phantom marketing term - borrowed from old races of all kinds and applied to a race format, and then equipment, and now riders... it's broad meaning and history generally means that it really means nothing, or whatever you personally want it to mean to help stroke your own ego... it will evolve, change, or disappear just like so many other attempts to categorize a 'type' of riding... Enduro can't be DH because you pedal, and it can't be XC because you're not supposed to pedal -- ok got it makes total sense... somewhere between pedaling and not pedaling... maybe we should really call it "coasting"... we could invent coaster brakes, and coaster forks, with coaster trails...

Everyone on PB, and most everyone else in the modern recreational bike riding world - rides a bike that is massively over-produced for them. Marketing, hype, whatever... if you'll buy new equipment because it's now all about "flow" riding, they'll call it 'flow' and put an "f" on everything...

Give me a bike, call it whatever the hell you want - and point towards an awesome trail... if you've been riding long enough, at some point in your past you had an amazing time on a POS bike -- it was called something, and categorized as something, and you had a blast...

There's no such thing as the right definition of any term in biking except "ride"... ride what you like, like what you ride... cheer others for doing whatever the hell they want...

wait, i missed why skin suit guy in the photo isnt enduro... thats like way faster than baggy clothes in the wind.. its a race right?! he should take the visor off his helmet, those things catch hella wind and slow you down...

If Enduro is what made it so I can actually comfortably pedal my 150mm bike all day long, then Vive L'Enduro. However, I suspect it's just Mountain biking the way we all mountain bike, ride up and ride down as fast as we can. Isn't that what the people want, irrespective of the name?

But many things not so good really highlighted by social media, USA u doing this to yourself, not others.

Where r the US heros real people, Tomac, Cullinan, Giove, fav April Lawyer, Palmer, he must be thankful hes not fighting the ghey lycra wars these days, seriously cross dressing and riding a bike is not cool.

Alright, lets be honest... This Article is just there to give europeans a change to show how much they hate the USA. And I can tell you one thing....
....
....
It was about time for that, you guys suck! Better pack your shit and move to Greenland, or maybe the moon. no wait, better move to pluto, thats not even a planet anymore, maybe you won't suck up there!

It's not the concept of riding a bicycle off road that Gary Fisher 'invented'. He and the Marin riders created a sport out of it, gave it a name, and started developing products specifically for 'mountain biking'.

I'm an American, who loves Mountain Biking. I've never used the word "enduro" in my life, nobody i know, or ride with has used that word in my company.The two local bike shops i use don't use that word.The only place i see the "enduro" word is on Pinkbike.Shouldn't this "open letter" to addressed to pinkbike, instead of a Country of 350 million people?Also, who the hell wears a fanny pack?

Definition of ENDURO: a long race (as for automobiles or motorcycles) stressing endurance rather than speedOrigin of ENDUROendurance + -o (Italian or Spanish masculine noun ending)First Known Use: 1935

So we need a know buzzword Matt, UpDown staged racing Or call it MTB racing

What were forgetting is that every sport evolves over time and in different areas. The enduro aspect has just taken a different turn in America. It's not a big deal. Nothing stays the same. I race enduro in So-Cal and I love it because it's mellow and fun. I love to ride DH and I raced when I was younger but now I enjoy a more low key race. Just like street scenes and trail riding differs in different times and countries so has enduro. To each his own.

Just read the reactions of everyone there is so funny...... do guys in the US take everything so seriously? And please stop reffering to World War cuz none of you were there at that time and use this example to show how Merica is powerful is SO STUPID . Buy the way nice "article"

I have been riding mountain bikes since the '80's but just joined Pinkbike today. When did mountain biking pick up as a sport in Europe? Where did it get invented?Who is the egocentric, narcissistic clown who wrote this? I may need to unsubscribe if this is the caliber of articles that are posted. One word "misused" is worth a whole lame article? Here is a word you are undoubtedly familiar with "merde"!

Sense of humour? The author is calling out a whole country (with the exception of Mark Weir it seems) as uneducated wankers unworthy to use the term 'Enduro' based on them not running their 'Enduros' down big f*ck off mountains that require full face helmets and body armour. Just because he's doing it in a sarcastic tone doesn't mean he isn't taking the piss.

I'm sorry, I couldn't help but notice someone from Europe whining about something while I was out riding my bike. What are you guys talking about? Oh, Enduro?! Peace out, I'm going to go back to riding my bike.

Feel kind of sick to live on the same planet as people who took this as an earnest article. I knew some Americans would be upset by the tone, but people actually think he's serious and not at all self deprecating. Those people clearly have a reading comprehension age of about 5 and social skills to match.
You are all plebs and should leave writing words of any kind to those of us with the appropriate mental functioning.
I hate you, stupid plebs.
--Someone smarter than you all

So far down the page that no one will ever read me....
I invented Enduro on my Raleigh 10 speed road bike with cow horn bars,banana saddle and knobbly tyres, way back in 76.
And i didn't even wear a helmet 0.o

People who claim to not like enduro, not understand it, or not want it... Should probably question whether they like mountain biking. Because that's what it is. It's not new, but selling the new 'specialized mountain bike pro' just doesn't have the same ring to it.

Those are all south American, you could maybe get the following things back:

-greasy KFC Bullshit-that stuff you put your hotdogs in, for some reason you call it bread-all the chemical weapons you dumped in alle oceans across the world-all the microphones your NATIONAL security agency installed al over europe-as well as the thousends of soldiers you left all over the world.

Ok then. But if mtb started with people just riding bikes then i guess i should ride my full hardtail bike with v-brakes and no helmet right?? And don't forget that without all this enduro thing you wouldn't be writing this stupid shit in pb

Author sounds like a stuck up d bag. Who the hell cares what people wear or call their races. Take your e word and all the things we out of touch Americans ought to understand and shove them up your @ss!

"xenophobia: deep-rooted, irrational hatred towards foreigners." THAT is what you see in this article??? I wonder if there's a similar entry in some psychology compendium for the irrational pettiness of tribal clowns like you. Get over it. 'Murica doesn't do everything better than everyone else all the time.

Velke -- funny thing is that I was born in Europe and still have German citizenship. I am still proud of being European, but that doesn't justify the narrow-minded viewpoint of this article. In any event, your definition just supports my position that the article is xenophobic and narrow-minded. It is an irrational -- and pointless -- attempt at proving that the European perspective of Enduro is superior to the American. Other than trying to stir up controversy -- what's the point.
In any event, resorting to name calling doesn't make your view-point any stronger.

yes, the "EuroinSF" gave it away. One can be tribal anywhere, anytime. And if you think this article articulates an irrational hatred ( I like how you read Hatred out of the definition) towards America, you belong here. The article took a light-hearted poke at America and the typically insecure reacted with vehement outrage. America (I'm American but have lived most of the past 20 years in varying European countries) does some things well and others not. One of the bad things is the incessant money-driven marketing. You can make the connection with that and "Enduro-everything" yourself.

Velke: I love that you are leaving out that you did not just call me tribal, but a tribal "clown." Instead of engaging in an argument on the merits, you resort to name calling -- which is simply a sign of weakness. I guess, calling me a clown is also just a light-hearted poke?

That aside, from my perspective the article is a thinly-veiled attempt to denigrate American (not just US) mountain bikers and espouses the supposed superiority of a European viewpoint. The fact that so many feel insulted is not a sign of overwhelming insecurity, but a sign that the "poke" is inappropriate. I lived in Australia for a long time and enjoy sarcasm. However, making fun of strangers is simply not funny. Matt may be a bit young and lack the maturity to recognize what is appropriate, but the editors at Pinkbike should have taken a closer look.

Finally, the irrational or unreasoned fear or hatred inherent in xenophobia does not have to be explicit. You do not have to say I hate foreigners to be xenophobic just as you do not have to say I hate blacks to be racist. Xenophobia can be expressed in many ways involving the relations and perceptions of an ingroup towards an outgroup (see definition below). And, that is exactly what this article does -- it expresses a "we are superior, you suck" attitude that is emblematic of xenophobia. Part of the issue is that there is an undercurrent of resentment of America and its exercise of power among a fair number of Europeans and that against this background the article fosters an us v. them attitude. Thus, my statement that the article is "borderline" xenophobic is hardly inappropriate.

----Here is a broader definition of Xenophobia from Wikipedia: Xenophobia is the irrational or unreasoned fear of that which is perceived to be foreign or strange.[1][2] It comes from the Greek words ξένος (xenos), meaning "strange," "foreigner," and φόβος (phobos), meaning "fear."[3] Xenophobia can manifest itself in many ways involving the relations and perceptions of an ingroup towards an outgroup, including a fear of losing identity, suspicion of its activities, aggression, and desire to eliminate its presence to secure a presumed purity.[4] Xenophobia can also be exhibited in the form of an "uncritical exaltation of another culture" in which a culture is ascribed "an unreal, stereotyped and exotic quality". As you can see, the irrahional hatred and fear can "manifest itself in the relations of an ingroup towards and outgroup.

absurd. the article was poking fun at the US, and you and other US apologists over-reacted. That's plain to see. "t expresses a 'we are superior, you suck' attitude" = xenophobia?? ha, you're determined to win the argument despite being patently wrong, aren't you? That's just risible. It's wrong as a definitional matter, and even using your over-inclusive definition, the author didn't say the US "sucks." he simply wrote an article humorously expressing his upset over the US's over-marketing of "Enduro." The author may admire many other aspects of the US. Hardly a xenophobe. Lastly, if people in other parts of the world feel some resentment towards the US, it's well justified. OK, I'm done here. I think you know the article was not zenophobic, you're just defending the point so as not to back down. I'm sure any more of this will be boring to both of us. Good luck with your time in the US.

Velke: It is a shame that you are such a self-loathing American that you can't get your head out of your own ass. Best of luck in Europe. They don't deserve you, but then again I don't believe anyone does.

Don't like being exposed as less intelligent than you supposed yourself, eh there f*ckface? You obviously belong in America, home of the vehemently ignorant. And you gets all butthurt over being called a tribal clown. Just perfect.

Velke: It is sad that you feel the need to insult me personally again just because you disagree with my belief. Calling me a f*ckfce and clown does not make you seem particularly intelligent. In any event, it is totally inappropriate.

It is painfully obvious that you can only see the world in black and white. I feel sorry for you in that regard. Xenophobia, like racism, is not a black or white proposition. You don't have to say that you hate people of all other races to be a racist. And, you don't have to say you hate all foreigners to be a xenophobe. Thus, I stand by my opinion that this post is borderline xenophobic for denigrating Americans.

Let's try a little thought game, shall we? Imagine one could quantify everything that is "America." Now, what incredibly tiny, fractional percentage of that is comprised of MTB-Enduro in any way, shape or form? 0.00001%? Perhaps something far smaller than that. Have you followed me so far? No? Ok, please reread what I just wrote. Good now? OK, now let's consider the definition of xenophobia: "The irrational fear or hatred of foreigners." (That's FEAR or HATRED of ALL foreigners, IdiotinSF, regardless of your personal, shifting and self-serving definition). Are you really so perversely stubborn, petty or stupid (or some toxic mix of all three) that you can't see that humorously criticizing 0.00001% of the US can't possibly constitute xenophobia? Unfortunately, it would appear the answer is "yes," though I would believe your uninformed, uncurious American colleagues think you're "really smart."

Also, calling you a clown or, say, a dumbf*ck is not mutually exclusive with also making a substantive argument. Then again, I shouldn't expect someone of your hyper-sensitivity and obvious intellectual limitations to grasp that. Further, you write things like, "They don't deserve you, but then again I don't believe anyone does," and then try to take the moral high-road because you didn't swear. Just more evidence of your ready sense of victimhood and inability to think clearly.

But seriously, if you have such dainty sensibilities that you're deeply hurt by being called a clown, maybe you should refrain from commenting on the internets. A crude vulgarity is the coin of the realm.

Genuinely funny social commentary feeding back on the re-public of pinkbike, many of whom evidently don't get it. Which quite frankly makes it vastly more humorous.
Kick off people, go on you're cracking me up, you know you want to....

This is a rant against whiny Americans who complain about everything they don't understand. It has nothing to do with America in General. If you don't race enduro, it's ok. You don't have to. Just stop bitching about products geared to enduro racing. Btw, you can use most enduro products for mountain biking if you aren't a racer.

An odd read. The author is, rightly, complaining about the US's overuse and overhype of the term "Enduro." In case you haven't noticed, a good part of the MTB community agrees, some of them rather vehemently.

I find your reasoning a little too enduro. Perhaps you should try a full face helmet and a lighter rear wheel to help you pedal on those non-pedaly courses in europe while you mock a whole nation of riders for trying to have fun on their bikes while the industry cooks up the next great gimmick to sell new stuff. I'll go do some all mountain riding mixed in with a little trail and xc, maybe some dh shuttle too, unless the author wants to tell me how I'm doing those all wrong too.

wow, you really are stupid. So first it was a "POS" (note the vulgar American style) for criticizing 0.00001% of America (that is, the enduro part), then it was a POS "because it's an article by a mountain biker complaining about other mountain biker's not doing mountain biking they way he wants them too," and now we're back to you being butthurt because of a little humorous criticism to your fine self conception as an American. As for the FF helmet etc, wth is that? First of all, I'm American and living in America, you idiot. Don't you recognize your own flag? Wait, you're "Murican, so maybe you're too ignorant. Secondly, you don't think Europe has "pedaly" courses?? You haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about. Typical 'Murican, ignorant of most everything but full of vehement certainty.

BTW, for a nation that's so sure we're Number 1!!!, we sure are insecure. One little humorously-styled bit of criticism of one tiny facet of Our Great Nation, and we're all furiously upset. Pathetic.

I feel like you're yanking my chain or something, because this is getting silly. I apologize for the abbreviated vulgarity. Poor form on my part. I'm surprised you notice it though if you read this site regularly. Also, I'm sorry but I can't help you with your whole issue with "Murcia" as you call it. I have my own issues with the US and I'm really not into the whole nationalism thing.

sure, after you called me stupid and an idiot while making up stuff about me. Hey, did you catch that 2nd place finish by Leov with his fanny pack and faux full face helmet? I bet that really pissed you and Matt off PS: do you ride the wiss? I lived right by it for a couple of years. I met a lot of good mountain bikers there. We were riding xc, trail, and all mountain back then so there wasn't too much bickering going on about what it means to be enduro. Good times.

Dear America. You can keep the word enduro. Just please get your own language then people will think your are smarter. It's maths not math. You can't gift someone something it's a noun. You write to people-you don't write them-that is just stupid. Stop abusing our language! Thanks for all the v8 cars you have produced though. PS stop fighting wars you can't finish, you're economy is screwed. Much love

By the way, all you enthusiastic "american heroes", it has nothing to do with MTB but one detail: you never came TO SAVE EUROPE during WW2, read the right books of History for once. The US decided to finally move their ass in 1944 just because they were AFRAID OF COMMUNISM as the Russians were dangerously coming to Western Europe. Hitler had already lost the war at this period; allied forces could have handled it alone. Your intervention was only ideologic, not humanistic, remember that. And just think a bit further: why Berlin and Germany was "shared" in 2 after 1945? Hum??? American don't even know their own History, how could they know the others's History. Beside this: we love you too

I don't even wanna know how many neg props I'm gonna get for saying this, but why would you even wanna ride enduro anyways? I mean, we all know the downhill is the best and most fun part, and if you disagree, you and I both know you're lying to yourself, so why not just ride downhill?

The reason we ride these bikes is because shuttling is inconvenient and if you just wanna get out and ride why not ride a downhill bike that can pedal up? AKA a 6" bike with a nice slack less than 66degree head angle

Gs4designs, thats pretty much a cure all in a mans mind, and as for hetfield1, hell yeah, lemme ho grab my mossberg 12ga and my khs dh rig! but yes, this enduro bs needs to stop, i mean come on, if super-d is the next enduro, in terms of false recognition, i will be quite sad

Damn it people! The USSR was the biggest reason why the German's lost WW2. Read up on actual world history and not what you learn in your high school classes! They sacrificed millions of men and women to give the German's horrible blows on the eastern front. The western front was no where near as deadly as the eastern. Please do some research.

Dear hetfield1, if it wasn't for the French, you'd be sucking Prince [whatever English dumf0c's] kok. Please, educate yourself a bit, and MAYBE, JUST MAYBE, live outside the USA[#1!] for a while and then retire that self-congratulatory, oh-so-predictable bit of empty patriotism.

@Minucrest - not a fan of Budweiser, and besides wasn't Busch a German who settled in the US? Perhaps we should have returned him But alas, all in good fun - no need to tell me to shove things in my arse! Everyone should just ride and have fun. Didn't mean to spark a EU vs US debate. We can all learn from each other. Went to Europe myself last year for the first time ever and had a great experience, wish I could have stayed longer and had my bike. Going back again this year. Happy riding!

Hey Look Frenchie
U are right maybe some poor US bastard or bastard'S is branding the WORD! So don't blame the US for it. Come on when I see you frenchie's vacation in my US wearing speedo's and a carpet back out by the pools. I guess I could say your all hairy yeti's. Why it's not right so i won't.
Socal

Some people think Enduro is all hype, but for me it's everything. The perfect combo of downhill and climbing, and to me the coolest thing is being able to shred down and still being able to ride up with relative ease.

Cant tell if you're joking or if you didn't even read the article...Getting on a six inch bike and hitting jumps on the way down is nothing new!!! And when they started to make a race format that involved checkpoints, a six inch bike happened to be well suited to it. Suddenly, everything in between xc and downhill became #enduro.